Work continues on restoring The Old Tavern in Madison Township
Published by: The News-Herald
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More progress is being made on restoring The Old Tavern in Madison Township.
In addition, fundraising is still taking place to complete the multiphase project.
Those were two of the points emphasized by leaders of the Old Tavern Preservation Society during a recent community presentation. Erin Cicero and Marc Petersen provided an update on efforts to restore the building, which is recognized as Ohio’s oldest surviving tavern, according to the society’s website.
Cicero is the society’s executive director, and Petersen serves as the group’s vice president of project management. They were the featured speakers at a program held March 19 at Madison Public Library. Phase 3 of rehabilitating The Old Tavern, located at 7935 South Ridge Road, is now taking place.
This part of the project involves rebuilding the north wall of the tavern. The society hired Custom Mouding and Millwork of Madison Village to perform Phase 3 restoration work. Company co-owner Kevin Jacobson was on hand for the presentation and talked about rebuilding the wall.
“Siding and trim will be installed in the spring,” he said.
Custom Moulding and Millwork also conducted Phase 1 of the tavern restoration in 2017. That endeavor focused on installation of a new roof; interior stabilization; and rehabilitating the front portico, or porch, including the four pillars that were installed in the 1800s.
Phase 2 restoration was completed in 2022 by JCI Contractors Inc. of Ashtabula. The company repaired the tavern’s foundation and rebuilt the portico.
During this phase, the south and west sides of the building also were painted. A paint analysis was conducted to determine the proper color.
Cicero said the analysis “was kind of a fun process to go through.”
“We took samples from around the entire building and (Heritage Architectural Associates) put them under a microscope,” he said.
The goal was to identify the paint color of the building in 1914, when The Old Tavern was last rehabilitated by the Hopper family as a destination during the roadside era, she explained.
“So that’s why we went back to the yellow (as it was in 1914),” Cicero said.
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